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The Erik Friberg-to-Seattle Sounders rumor appears to have some serious legs. The latest out of Sweden is that Friberg's teammates left without him to Florida for preseason training in order to allow for the 27-year-old to consider an offer from the Seattle Sounders. If Friberg were to sign, he'd need to leave the United States again in order to return under a new longer-term visa. By staying in Sweden, he cuts out the need for that step.
From the sound of it, Malmo is willing to let Friberg go if he so chooses. The transfer fee appears to be a very reasonable 1 million krona, which converts to about $155,000. That's essentially in the ballpark for what the Sounders received when they let Friberg return to Sweden at the end of the 2011 season.
Since the Sounders accepted a transfer fee, that means Friberg would need to return to MLS via the Allocation Ranking where the Sounders have the top spot. The other player being widely mentioned as a potential target of that spot is Marco Pappa.
Before you get too excited, though, consider this:
